Four Eyes
by mabtng
Summary: PLEASE R&R! S/J UST. When SG-1 goes on a scientific mission, danger ensues, leaving one team member's life in the balance. Can the rest of the team conjure a miracle in time to save the day?
1. Default Chapter

TITLE: Four Eyes  
CATEGORY: Sam/Jack UST, angst, drama, action-adventure  
SPOILERS: Slight for Divide & Conquer (takes place Pre-Meridian)  
RATING: PG-13 (for language and situations)  
SUMMARY: When SG-1 goes on a scientific mission, danger ensues -- leaving one team member's life in the balance. Can the rest of the team conjure a miracle in time to save the day?  
ARCHIVE: Heliopolis - yes  
DISCLAIMER: Stargate SG-1 and its characters are the property of Stargate (II) Productions, Showtime/Viacom, MGM/UA, Double Secret Productions, and Gekko Productions. I get absolutely nothing out of this except some fun. No copyright infringement is intended. This package is sold by weight, not by volume. CA residents add 8% sales tax.  
  
  
***  
  
Four Eyes  
by mabtng  
  
***  
  
Prologue  
  
***  
  
*...Please be there...Got to be there...Got to run faster now... Depending on me...Please be there...*  
  
The silent mantra pounded in Daniel Jackson's head to the beat of his rain numbed feet. He had to hurry. The wind was already beginning to pick up again, this time from the west. There was little time left.  
  
"Damnit!" He cried breathlessly as his feet slipped and slid through the mud and he tripped over a downed tree. His glasses were so covered with water and grime that they were useless. He tore them off as he stood and shoved them into his jacket pocket. With a push off the tree, he started his desperate sprint once more.  
  
He knew he was almost there. It had to be there. Just over the next hill. One more step. Two. Three, and he'd be able to see the top of the circle. His lungs burned and his water-logged uniform tried to drag him down with its sheer weight.  
  
He reached the crest...But where the hell was it? He should be able to see...Had he gotten lost? Run the wrong way in his panic? No! There was the DHD...  
  
He stopped. Frozen as his heart dropped. The gate was no longer standing. The winds had forced their way upon it and now it lay on the ground, one side of the rim teetering against the stones where he and his team had first stepped onto this world. There was no time. There was no way he would be able to get help before...  
  
He fell to his knees, exhausted and defeated.  
  
"Oh, Sam. I'm so sorry," he whispered as he closed his eyes and beat his fists against his muddied knees in grief.  



	2. Chapter 1

***  
Four Eyes  
  
Chapter One  
  
***  
  
Day One  
0800 Hours  
  
"Okay, weather boys and...Major," Colonel Jack O'Neill proffered with a sweep of his hand as his team stepped down from the Stargate. "Welcome to PX...PDQASAP. Land of," he looked around, "...Trees, rocks, and hurricanes."  
  
His team got to work quickly. Major Samantha Carter and Daniel Jackson busied themselves with the equipment on the sled. Boxes and packs with wires and gadgets and "doohickeys" that Jack didn't even want to begin to understand. If it didn't shoot, zap, or catch fish, he wasn't interested.  
  
Teal'c joined Jack in standing watch on the hillside, scanning their surroundings for any possible danger. Jack's eyes focused on the ocean that lay one mile to the east. The morning skies above it had a slightly orange tinge.  
  
"Carter?" He barked.  
  
"Yes, sir?"  
  
"You're sure that hurricane won't hit for seventy-two hours. Right?"  
  
Sam followed his gaze to the ocean. She took off her sunglasses so that she could see the true colors of the sky. She frowned. "Well, if we knew for certain, there would be no need for us to come here, sir."  
  
Jack growled. Why couldn't scientists ever give him a simple yes or no?  
  
"But, yes," Sam continued, "All of the data from the UAV indicated to our meteorology team that we would have seventy-two hours to set up this monitoring equipment and get home before the storm hits."  
  
Jack nodded, laughing to himself. Leave it to Carter to figure out exactly what he was thinking. The two of them had been so in synch lately, it was beginning to get scary.  
  
"Where do we need to set all of this up?" Jack asked.  
  
Sam pointed toward the small mountains directly to the west. "The UAV showed signs of several caves a few klicks from here at the base of those hills. We should be able to set everything up there and have good cover for the monitors. I just need to set up these three ground probes here first."  
  
"Teal'c," Jack motioned with his head. "You wanna go check it out?" Teal'c nodded and started toward the caves.   
  
Jack knew from their briefing yesterday that the UAV had found no signs of habitation or civilization on this planet. Which was a good thing, considering how Carter had described the coming hurricane as something beyond one of earth's Category Five storms. And that meant that this would be a simple "set up and hightail-it-home" mission. Then all the science geeks back at the SGC could "stream" all their weather data to their hearts' content from the safety of Cheyenne Mountain. Data that would hopefully help scientists on earth to better understand hurricanes.   
  
But he also knew that his SG-1 team had a predilection for making "simple" missions become complicated real quick. He looked over to Carter. This mission was her baby. Daniel was here because he actually understood most of Carter's five hundred syllable words. He and Teal'c were just the guard dogs and equipment porters on this one. Not that he minded. He rather enjoyed the chance to just keep watch. No talkin' and making nice with the natives crap. Just watch. Watch Carter as she set things up. Watch Carter as she got all excited over some piece of equipment when it lit up. Watch Carter...  
  
Oops. He hadn't realized that his feet had carried him over to where she was working. It was time to rearrange his thoughts and focus. He turned and began to really look at the planet. It was a nice place, actually. Peaceful. The air was fresh and clean. No signs that the Go'auld had ever been here...would be a nice place to go camping or something. Camping with Carter...Camping with Sam...  
  
Sam bent over to open one of the equipment boxes as Jack remained behind her, still scanning their surroundings.  
  
"Nice view," he mumbled.  
  
"What, sir?" Sam glanced up from under her arm, not realizing that in her current position, her rear was fully presented to her CO.  
  
Jack looked down to her as he began to repeat himself. "I said, 'nice view'..." He stopped as he saw Sam's eyes go wide. She stood up quickly and turned toward him. He raised his hands in his own defense.  
  
"No! Not *that* view..." he stammered motioning toward her backside. Oops! Sam's eyes narrowed. "I mean...not that *that* isn't..."   
  
"Jack..." Daniel smugly warned as he looked up from his own equipment, amused at Jack's embarrassment.  
  
"Oh for crying out loud, people!" He threw up his hands and started pointing. "The mountains...the ocean! It's a freakin' nice view!"  
  
"Yes, sir," Sam replied, trying not to blush herself.  
  
Jack rolled his eyes and did the only thing he could. He stalked off, mumbling to himself, wishing there was something he could shoot.  
  
And Daniel laughed.  
  
**  
  
Jack wandered about the hillside, although he did make sure to keep Carter and Daniel in view.  
  
*Well, you walked right into that one, Jack ol' boy, didn't ya?*  
  
He wasn't watching his feet, wasn't paying attention until there was a loud and ominous snap under his boot. He felt the reverberation from the break through his foot and up his leg.   
  
He had way too much experience with booby traps and land mines to lift his foot from the ground. Instead, keeping his weight balanced, he slowly looked down to see exactly what trouble he was in this time. It wasn't a simple stick, but it also wasn't a land mine or a booby trap.  
  
"What the hell?"  
  
He was surprised, but at least it was safe to lift his foot again. He quickly spoke into his radio.   
  
"Carter? You wanna head over here for a sec?"   
  
There was a brief pause before her voice came back over the radio and into his earpiece, "Yes, sir. On my way."  
  
She was hustling up to his side within minutes. "Sir?"  
  
"I shot an arrow to the sky, it fell to earth, I know not why..." Jack spoke sarcastically and pointed to the object on the ground.  
  
Sam's eyes widened in surprise and she squatted down to examine it.  
  
"I thought this place was supposed to be uninhabited," Jack grumbled, his eyes darting across the tree line, ever suspicious.  
  
"It was," she replied. "At least, that was the indication we got from the UAV we sent through the gate."  
  
"Then please tell me how an Apache arrow just happened to be lying about? 'Cause I know that UAVs are never wrong..."  
  
Sam picked up the arrow and was examining the sharp head and the feathers at the end of the broken shaft just as Daniel arrived, curious as ever. He saw the arrow and tilted his head.  
  
"Jack? Why is Sam holding an Apache arrow?" he asked.  
  
Sam immediately looked at Jack. How had he known the arrow was Apache?  
  
"Gunsmoke fan," he shrugged at her.   
  
"Marshal Dillon and Miss Kitty ruled," Sam remarked under her breath.  
  
"And, Daniel, you tell me... I was minding my own business and then my boot found that..." Jack continued, albeit slightly smiling after Sam's comment.  
  
As usual, Daniel was still trying to catch up amid his friends' asides. He held out his hand and Sam handed him the broken arrow. He stared at it closely, nudging his glasses up and down his nose until he found the proper focus. He lifted it to his nose and sniffed.  
  
"Well, it was made recently. Certainly not a relic from the Wild West. Although, the arrow head itself might be considerably older. Interesting..." Daniel pondered.  
  
"Right now, I'm only interested in where the bow and its shooter are... Teal'c!" He shouted as he saw the Jaffa exit the tree line.  
  
Teal'c soon joined them. "I encountered no trouble finding the caves Major Carter spoke of. There is one that would appear suitable for our needs," he spoke calmly.  
  
"Any sign of people? Go'aulds? Cowboys and Indians?" Jack asked.  
  
"I saw no signs of anyone. Did you find something here?"  
  
Jack simply pointed to Daniel and his new toy. Teal'c's jaw tightened slightly.  
  
"Sir, if there are people here, we have to at least try and warn them about the hurricane," Sam interjected.  
  
Jack sighed. His 2IC was right. But they'd be damn careful.   
  
"Okay, campers. Let's get Carter's toys up to that cave on the double. Looks like we need to do a little neighborly visiting. Let's move out."  
  
The team headed back toward the equipment. And even though Jack, Teal'c, and Sam all felt a little uneasy, they never spied the eyes that watched them from the cover of the tree tops.  
  
***  
  
It had taken the SG-1 team over an hour to move their equipment from the stargate to the cave. It had been tiring, but necessary work.  
  
The cave was actually more of a tunnel. The ground at the opening was slanted up, a perfect natural barrier against flooding from the coming rains. The tunnel then sloped progressively downward from the entrance. They had gone some one hundred yards before Sam had deemed it safe for the instruments. The sensitive equipment would need the distance to protect it from the wind forces of the hurricane. Once everything was set up at this site, she would run sensor leads back up to the entrance.  
  
But all of that would take time. And right now, their priority was finding and warning the possible denizens of this planet. And Jack was getting antsy.  
  
"Sir, the equipment is secured and should be fine until I can get back to it," Sam reported.  
  
"Then we're good to go," Jack nodded firmly. "Let's move out. And keep your eyes open. We don't know if these folks will appreciate our Welcome Wagon."  
  
***  
  
One quick radio message to General Hammond back at the SGC and one hour of exploring later, there had still been no sign of anyone or anything unusual. Jack had taken point, Teal'c and Daniel were spread in the middle, and Sam was watching their six.  
  
Jack suddenly stopped. "Anybody hear that?" he asked.  
  
"It sounds like rushing water. Maybe a river, sir," Sam replied.  
  
The team followed the sound and found its source some two hundred yards to the south. A river shot down out of the hills and mountains, its power evident in the white caps that churned over the rocks and the fine mist that rose from the surface.  
  
Daniel walked up to the edge and leaned over to stick his hand in.  
  
"Be careful, Daniel," Jack warned. He'd already had visions of fishing the archaeologist out of the rapids.  
  
"Yow! That's cold!" Daniel yelped as he shook the water from his hand.  
  
"I should probably get a sample, sir," Sam observed.  
  
"Sure. Knock yourself out, Major. It's a good time to break for some lunch anyway. And the view is nice," Jack innocently commented as he sat himself down on a nearby rock.  
  
Sam dropped her pack and dug out a sample vial as the others pulled out their MREs. She walked over to the river's edge and carefully knelt down on the rocks.  
  
She had obtained the water sample and was leaning back to seal the vial when she saw something out of the corner of her eye, across the river. Or, actually, just above it in one of the tree limbs that spanned the water. There was someone in the tree. Watching...  
  
"Colonel?" She tried to call softly to get the others' attention, but the roar of the river was too loud.  
  
The figure in the tree shifted.  
  
"Sir!" She called a little louder. She carefully put the vial down and began to reach for her sidearm.  
  
The figure moved again, but this time, something went wrong. The branch cracked from the weight...  
  
Sam watched as the figure was exposed to full view. She was shocked to see that it was just a young boy. And the boy was now in serious trouble, clawing for a hand or foothold as the branch bowed beneath him. Then, there was a sickening crack and the limb broke entirely. The boy fell directly into the fast moving waters below.  
  
"Colonel!" Sam yelled in horror. She jumped to her feet and was off like a shot. She didn't have time to look over her shoulder to make sure that Jack had heard her cry. She couldn't afford to take her eyes off of the boy as he bobbed up and down in the current. She had to keep track of him.  
  
Then she saw her chance. Just ahead, a large rock jutted out into the river from the shoreline...  
  
As she ran toward it, she fumbled with her belt, trying to get it and her gun off -- she had to get rid of the weight -- but it wouldn't cooperate. When she reached the rock, she simply unholstered her heavy sidearm and dropped it to the ground.  
  
She scrambled onto the rock...  
  
The boy shot past...  
  
And Samantha Carter jumped in after him.  
  
***


	3. Chapter 2

***  
  
CHAPTER TWO  
  
***  
  
Jack and Teal'c had jumped to their feet the minute they had heard Sam's cry. But before Jack could respond, he saw Sam take off running.  
  
"What's going on?" Daniel asked.  
  
But the other two men were already running after her.  
  
"O'Neill!" Teal'c shouted as they ran. He pointed to the boy in the river. Jack poured on the afterburners. Sam still had a good lead on them. She was the only one who stood a chance in hell of saving the kid, but the idea of her jumping into the cold, raging river was not pleasant.  
  
*Please tell me you're not gonna do what I think you're gonna do, Carter,* he thought.  
  
Then he saw her drop her gun.  
  
*Oh, shit. This is not good.* She was on the rock now.  
  
She jumped.  
  
*Oh, shit.*  
  
**  
  
*Oh. Shit. Cold. There went my hat,* were Sam's four thoughts as the cold of the water hammered her limbs and shocked the air from her lungs.  
  
Then her mind went numb except for one thought: Swim. She pushed away the stinging numbness in her body and forced her legs and arms to move. *Where is the boy?* She strained to raise her head above the water... *There!* He was just ahead of her. Not looking conscious.  
  
She swam harder. Just a few feet more. Her fingers brushed against the boy's shirt, but they were too cold and numb to obey her. He slipped away.  
  
"Damnit!" She sputtered and kicked harder. A crest carried the boy back toward her and this time she was ready. She caught him with her body and immediately wrapped her left arm under his arms and around his torso.  
  
But the water was so fast. Yes, she had the boy, but now what? Remembering her white water rafting training, she turned onto her back with her feet pointing downstream. This would be better protection against hitting rocks down river. She cradled the unconscious boy on top of her chest.  
  
And as she gasped for air between each white cap, she prayed that her team mates would reach her in time.  
  
**  
  
*Hang on, Carter. I'm coming.* Jack's keen eyes kept searching the path ahead, looking for some hope. *There!* Jack was too winded to shout to Teal'c and Daniel, but he knew they would follow his lead.  
  
He raced to their last hope. Sam's last chance.  
  
A large tree had fallen on the bank of the river. Its gnarled trunk, long since stripped of any foliage, jutted out about ten feet to hang just over the river.  
  
Jack tried to calm his legs as he hopped onto the tree and began to walk it like a balance beam. Stubby remnants of limbs and bark did not want him to succeed. The slick moss that had taken over the surface was perilous. Jack's foot slipped.  
  
"O'Neill!" Teal'c shouted in alarm as he saw the Colonel lose his balance. Jack fell, but landed on the trunk, his already battle-scarred knees taking the brunt of his weight.  
  
"Okay," he winced. "That hurt."  
  
While Teal'c followed Jack onto the tree to assist, Daniel yelled from the bank...  
  
"Jack! There they are! Hurry!"  
  
Jack looked up to see where Daniel was pointing. *Shit!* They had to move. He scrambled to the end of the tree, ignoring his sore knees. He knew he would only get one chance.  
  
"Teal'c, my legs!"  
  
"I have you," Teal'c replied as his hands clamped down on Jack's legs.  
  
Jack leaned out and over the water, his hand outstretched. "C'mon, Carter..."  
  
**  
  
Sam had almost given up trying to breathe. Every time she tried she was greeted with a mouth and nose full of water. Her body felt so heavy...  
  
Then, between the crashing sprays of water breaking over rocks, she saw Jack.  
  
*Yes!*  
  
He was perfectly positioned. She just needed to get one hand up... They were getting closer...almost there... Her eyes locked with Jack's determined stare.  
  
"Carter! Grab my hand!"  
  
It wasn't pretty, but she managed to raise her deadened right arm just at the last second.  
  
**  
  
"Gotcha!" Jack yelled. He had a death grip on Sam's forearm, but the current was trying to take her and the boy away, sweep them under the tree and on to certain death.  
  
He realized that he had to lift the boy first. While he held fast to Sam with his right arm, he reached down and tried to grab the boy with his left.   
  
Sam tried to help. She let her body turn with the current, bringing the boy closer to Jack's left hand. He latched onto the boy's shirt and heaved him out of Sam's arms, immediately passing him back toward Teal'c.  
  
"Take the kid!"  
  
Teal'c didn't want to release his hold on Jack, but he did as his friend commanded. He took the boy and lifted him to safety. He carefully made his way back to shore where Daniel was waiting.  
  
Jack tightened his grip on Sam's arm. He had to bow his head just for a moment to catch his breath. When he looked back up, he could see that Sam was fading fast. But still, her eyes told him that she had complete faith in him.  
  
"Your turn, Carter," he stated firmly.  
  
Sam didn't have the strength or breath to speak. She simply nodded her head.  
  
Jack pulled. He used every muscle in his body, trying to leverage his Major up and onto the tree.  
  
But it wasn't working. For every moment he pulled, the river tugged. Sam tried to lift her left arm, tried to reach for the tree to help, but her body was not going along with the program.  
  
"Let's do this another way. Stay with me, Carter!" Jack ordered.  
  
Slowly, inch by inch, he began to back up toward shore, pulling Sam along the side of the tree.  
  
One foot. Then two. They had made it to the halfway point and Jack wasn't sure he could hang on much longer. Sam was no longer gripping his arm in return. His fingers were slipping...  
  
Suddenly, Teal'c was there beside him. His hand clamped down on Sam's jacket collar. Within seconds, the trio had reached the river bank.  
  
Teal'c gently laid Sam down on the ground and Jack promptly collapsed beside her.  
  
"You okay?" he asked between breaths.  
  
Sam was exhausted and shivering all over. But instead of answering, she rolled slightly onto her side to look for the boy.  
  
"Is he okay?" she coughed.  
  
Jack followed her gaze. Daniel was kneeling beside the boy, administering CPR. *C'mon, kid,* Jack prayed. Teal'c moved over to help Daniel. He took over the shallow chest compressions as Daniel performed rescue breathing.  
  
Just as Jack and Sam were about to give up hope, the boy began to cough. His back arched up from the ground and water bubbled out of his mouth. Daniel turned the boy onto his side and soothingly rubbed his back.  
  
Sam rolled onto her back and closed her eyes in relief. But now that the crisis was over, her own body was protesting. She couldn't control the shivering that rippled throughout her body.  
  
Jack reached out to brush some wet strands of hair from her face. Sam opened her eyes, surprised by his touch.  
  
"Good job, Major. Now. How are you doing?"  
  
"Just a...bit...cold...Sir," she sputtered between chattering teeth.  
  
"No broken bones?" Jack persisted, his eyes moving up and down her body, looking for blood or other signs of injury beyond the scrapes on her hands and face.  
  
"Nothing...a very large...hair dryer won't cure," she replied.  
  
Jack nodded. Good news. "Then I'll be right back," he told her, letting one hand linger on her arm for just one second longer than necessary.  
  
But as he started to rise, Sam stopped him.  
  
"I just...Thank you, for...pulling me out," she said quietly.  
  
"Any time, Major. Let's just not do it again today, okay?" He smiled and squeezed her hand. Then he got up and walked over to Teal'c and Daniel. Daniel had already wrapped the boy in his field jacket.  
  
"How's he doin'?"  
  
Daniel looked up, relief on his face. "He should be fine as long as there's no infection in his lungs from all that water he swallowed. How's Sam?"  
  
"No serious injuries, but we need our medical supplies and a blanket. And a fire."  
  
"I will go and retrieve our packs, O'Neill," Teal'c volunteered. He got up and walked toward Sam. Jack smiled to himself, knowing that the stoic Jaffa really wanted to make sure for himself that Sam was all right first. Then the Jaffa stood and ran back toward the site where they had dropped their gear.  
  
Jack got to work readying the fire, collecting dry leaves and dead wood. In a few minutes, flames were beginning to get down to business. Teal'c returned with the packs and quickly pulled out some disinfectant and bandages to see to Sam's scrapes. Satisfied that warmth would soon be provided, Jack turned his attention to Daniel and the native boy.  
  
Jack knelt down beside the boy and smiled. The boy was still shaky, unsure of whether to stay or to try and run.  
  
"My name's Jack," the Colonel stated in his friendliest voice.   
  
The boy just stared at him.  
  
"I tried talking to him. He wouldn't respond. And look at his clothes..." Daniel gestured.  
  
Jack's eyes widened as he noticed the boy's appearance for the first time. His features were interesting. Almost Eurasian, but not quite. His hair was dark but his eyes were blue. And his clothing seemed to be a mix of different cultures. His pants were made of something like buckskin, but his shirt was woven cloth, a deep rust color. With buttons. Very unusual compared to other cultures they had visited.  
  
"Jack. This was around his neck..." Daniel held out a choker type necklace. The beads appeared to be made of bone, but dangling in the center...  
  
"A bullet cartridge? .45 caliber, too," Jack remarked. "What the hell?"  
  
Suddenly, the boy reached out and snatched the necklace from Daniel's hand. He clutched it to his chest protectively. His cold body shook as he coughed.  
  
"Okay, okay. You can have it back. It's okay," Daniel tried to soothe. "I wonder where his people are. Don't think he lives all alone on this planet," he quietly commented to Jack.  
  
But Jack wasn't looking at him or the boy anymore. Daniel looked up.  
  
"Oh. I think I know where they are," Jack replied.  
  
They were surrounded by a fierce looking tribe. A tribe that held very sharp spears and bows with arrows.  
  
And all of them were pointed at the four members of SG-1.  
  
***


End file.
